RE: Which Short Course Truck?
Yes, the sc10 is very tough. Many people think "Oh, ae is racing and traxxas is toys, so the sc10 has to be weak" this is very wrong.
SC trucks are all pretty tough because of their large bumpers, and the fact the the body covers the tires. This reduces cartwheels on the tires which can be destructive. When my sc10 starts to cartwheel it kind of just falls either on all four or onto the lid.
I don't race my sc10, just bash. I drive on a lot of pavement too and have had some high speed wrecks (35+) into car tires, curbs, etc. I have not broke any parts yet after probably 50 runs. One thing you will want to get is a chassis brace of some type. I have not yet, but the front chassy plate is taking considerable wear. This is expected of nylon when you scrape it against pavement.
There are countless upgrades for the sc10, so anything you break can be replaced with something better (cf, aluminum)
The sc10 diff doesnt even need to be all metal, its very strong and I can't imagine any motor (even MMM) having problems with ruining this diff.
Apart from defending the sc10's toughness, I would also like to add that the HPI blitz would be just as good to me as the sc10. I will always stand behind HPI as being tough, and performing well.